The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-18
THE AS INQUIRY.

Elections In the Lone-Star State.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 11-E. B. Brown (col
ored) was the first witness before the Texas com
mittee to day He was clerk ofe lection at Grah
all precinct, last November; BAT votes wers
cast, of which number about $50 were Repub-
lican mostly colored There was good deal OF
noise and ''rowdying" from the time the polls
closed at o'clock and good deal of shooting,
but the election officers were not disturbed. The
witness did not hear any threats toward colored
men, but good many colored mon were alarmed
and 'runned off" The whites were in row
among themselves. Ore white man was knocked
on the head by a weight, and was wounded. The
witness described the progress of the count, the
receipt of note from an outsider, which note
the two Democratic election officers considered
secretly, and the entrance. soon after. of three
armed and disguised men who presented pistols
to the faces of the officers commanded them to
:'hold up" and seized the ballot-box. Connell
and Butcher, the white election officers, laughed
at the affair The witness never saw the box
afterward, but told by a colored man that I
he had seen the box lying in the sand, broken in
pieces, and the tickets torn and scattered about
in the sand During the progress of the count
people entered several times to aek how the
count was going. particularly with regard to the
candidate for county Judge. The peoples tickets
were considerably scratched, and at the sug-
eestion of one the Democratic judges these
first, the Republican tickets being laid aside. At
the time Of the raid all the tickets but ninety
six had been counted, and those were straight
Republican without any scratches. When
counted. Mr.. Scheutz, Republican candidate for
county judge, had fifteen majority over Judge
Kirk. Bolton, Democratic candidate for county
commissioner, about whom inquiries were made
by outsiders during the evening, was also run
ming behind.
~ q. A. Mayo tcolored) was sworn. Previous to
beginning his examination a cOiloquy took place
between Senators Spooner and Eustis with re-
gard to the propriety of entering upon an inquiry
| with regard to the throwing ont of the ''da-
mond shaped Republican tickets. Senator
Spooner offered to submit the question to the
committee for decision, but Senator Eustis,
while maintaining that the question was merely
legal one. and in no wise related to the 'sout-
rage" which the committee was directed to in
vestieate, waived his objections
The witness was an inspector Of election at
Independence precinct Three hundred and
twenty mine votes were cast The Republican
tickets were diam ond shaped. The Democratic
presiding Judge, Mr.. Seward, after having per-
mitted the count to proceed for time-ten Of
the diamond tickets having been counted-leaned
back in his chair and said referring to the wit
ness: II reject to dem der tickets being counted
anv mo-; dey amt no legal tickets" There were
1877 of the rejected diamond-shaped, straight
Republican tickets.
A decision of the Supreme Court of Texas was
produced, rendered year before the election in
question, to the effect that the diamond-shaped
tickets are legal.
W. L. Williams twhite) testified to the throw
| ing out of the diamonds shaped tickets He had
been candidate on the peoples ticket, but with
| drew in favor of negro, r. j. Moore, who
claimed to be a Republican. The other negroes,
| however called him "mugworm." There was
no intimidation. The witness had never seen Q
| farer election.
| A. G. Scott fcolored) testified that on the
morning of the election the polls at Chadwicks
| gin house were not open, though between sixty
| Ave and seventy colored men were waiting to
| vote. The colored men declined to act as pre-
siding judges, because they feared repetition
of the affair at Chapel Hill, two years before.
| when three negroes were shot
| w. s. Baxter (whte) was the next witness.
| He was on duty as policeman in Brenham whom
| three colored mon were taken out of Jail and
hanged. He described the lynchina at length.
! G. w. Brown lcolored) was sworn He was
| the Republican candidate for county commits
sioner, and was elected, lis opponent being D.
| D. Bolton, whose son Devices was killed. After
the election the witness was informed by friends
that he was in danger, and had better not stay
| around home. The witness alarmed, and
described the precautions he took to keep out Of
| trouble. After he was sworn into office he re.
ceived a note Authorizing" him to leave the
| county and not serve as commissioner He has
| not been disturbed in the performance Of his
/ duty.
| f. NJ Newman (whitel was sworn He is
Democrat. He described the indignation meet
| ing of white citizens of Bre am two or three
| days after the election. Judge Kirk offered =
resolution declaring that, Hacksworth,
Schuetz, Moore, Glider. Lockett and Potter had
been making incendiarv speeches. they must be-
| moro quiet. or a committee would instruct them
| to leave the county.
! Miles Tilder said that the previous administra-
| ton of Judge Kirk had been a great success. and
| it was cause of rejoicing among the good peo-
| pie that he was elected. On crossexamination
| by Senator Pugh, the witness said that Judge
| Kirk stated. in substance, that the men he
| named had been going among the colored people,
and there was danger that they would be melted
| to violence by incendiary speeches. The wit
ness in answer to Senator Evarts. said he did
] not know Of any outbreak or threatened out
break on the part of colored people. of any
speeches other than public ones already testi-
| fed to-
| MINOR MATTERS